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Vinyl Wednesday: AC/DC – “Rock N Roll Train”

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AC/DC is back on my mind recently. Naners and I were supposed to see them in Cleveland at the Q arena a couple weeks back but they have postponed the remaining 10 dates of their US tour and we are waiting to see what happens before we decide to keep the tickets or not. The rumors are that Axl Rose may end up being the replacement for the 10 dates and that is NOT something I want to see. So, in the spirit of wanting to hear some Brian Johnson-fronted tunes, I give you the 7″ single for the 2008 song “Rock N Roll Train” from the album Black Ice.

There’s actually a lot of cool details going on with this record jacket. Lots of cool vector illustration stuff that a nerdy designer like me can appreciate with it’s small details. As for the overall design, what’s not to like? A large logo that is an absolute classic, a badass illustration of a locomotive straight out of Hell and a shitload of red splashed all over it.

I like the little touch of texture in the logo. It’s a kind of icy/smoky/stone texture and I don’t think I even noticed it when I initially bought this at Reckless Records (Lakeview location) in Chicago a few years ago.

The different depictions of the band members are really cool. I especially like how the illustrator really got the mannerisms of each member into the images. Check out Malcolm on the front and back of the jacket. Good job!

The reverse side of the jacket continues the theme of the front: lots of vector artwork featuring the band members in a simple color palette. This is where you can find the track listing and the liner notes. All very simply laid out and readable.

Another illustration of Angus Young makes an appearance at the bottom right corner. He is essentially the mascot of the band and I dig how they provided two unique illustrations of him, one on the front of him in a straightjacket and one on the back with him busting a move with an unidentified dame. The bar over the eyes is also a nice nod to the Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap album cover.

The record is a standard, black 7″ vinyl. It has the large-cut center hole and a simple label featuring the track information and a big AC/DC logo.

This is a pretty cool single for fans of AC/DC. I’m actually not a big fan of their album Black Ice but I do like this song. It’s REALLY good live and I am super pleased to have this one in my collection. Judge for yourself with the video below.